How to spot a kitchen knife to mod?


Gerald_G

Gerald_G

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Hi all, I spotted an Old Hickory meat cleaver in the thrift the other day, and then I come here and read about people making some of these kitchen knives into bush knives.

It was made by the Ontario Knife Co. etc.

Is there a tutorial on spotting good kitchen knifes in the the wild?
What other brands of kitchen knifes make good bush knives?
Does anyone here ever want to trade for knives like the meat cleaver I saw?
Is a stainless kitchen knife ever good to re-purpose?

Thanks
Gerald
 
The old hicks seem to get the most modding...I think because they are cheap...I did one not too long ago...sucker is sharp.
 
Hi there I made my own bushknife from a ssteel kitchen knife , full tang 2,5 mm thick and works wonders here is a pic

cimg1709n.jpg
 
Old Hickorys are cheap and have a good appeal to them. Almost a blank canvas to work as there are no frills to them.
 
I would definately stick to a carbon knife like an old hick, or similar deign by maybe dexter russel or Chicago(the newer versoins of these tend to be stainless though). Not that stainless won't work. Stainless if harder to reshape and cut less you have 'proper tools'.

if you came across essentially a butchers knife or scimitar blade those tend to be pretty hefty but not like a cleaver. I still use my old ones to cook with when doing outdoor events.
 
I look for anything carbon steel. You can always tell carbon steel from the others because it will have a patina to it. Google can help you with that or, not that I'm an expert but here is my thread on a couple I have been working on recently.

I cut mine with a Dremel tool cut cut-off wheel and then shape with the HF belt sander. As you're cutting and reshaping the popular wisdom is to quench in water often as you go so that the steel doesn't get too hot and change the hardness of the metal. I generally pick a part of the sharp edge that I want to keep and stay away from it so that it is what it always has been and I'm just making it look a little different. Other guys cut into the edge or middle of the steel to find a new edge but I'll let them tell you about that. I'm just starting out and dont' want to ruin a project and easy myself in.

Thrift stores like Goodwill that get lots of donations are where I pick up my carbon steel blades but I've only grabbed up three so far.
 
ecko (echo?) forge, old hickory, chicago cutlery, martha stewart, ontario... the list goes on and on.

I've modded a few and when I'm at thrift/antique stores I look for a few things...

1. Cheaply priced. If I'm adding my time to mod it, that effectively drives up the cost, so I need it to start out cheap.

2. Good size and shape. Sometimes I just look at a knife and I can see the knife I want it to be, so that's what I go with.

3. Full tang. Not that I'm concerned with the final product being full tang, but if it starts out full tang then I can make any kind of tang for it that I want. If it's less than full tang I can't make it full tang again.

4. Generally I look for carbon blades, but there are a few exceptions. Specifically: Dexter Russel, Victorinox (very hard to find victorinox kitchen knives), chicago cutlery, or martha stewart. I've found that all of these brands seem to be heat treated well, have a good shape to the handle, sharpen easily, and hold an edge. Add all that together and I have a simple knife without needing to do much to it. Unless I want to :)
 
When I was a kid I was taken in hand by a guy, a steelworker, who lived off the land especially when work was slow. He showed me how to select a good knife. It only works with carbon steel, and I would have no other. Hold it lightly by the handle and snap the blade with the nail of the middle finger of the other hand. If it doesn't ring discard it. The purer the ring the better the steel. I have only carried modified kitchen type knives. I have both Old Hickory and Oneida, but be aware that all these are not created equal and should be tested. You might test a dozen before you find a keeper.
 
As cheap as the carbon kitchen knives are new, all brands, it's logical to just go to the hardware store, or maybe Wally World and pick up new ones.
I say that because I have been watching out for a cleaver for quite awhile at the thrift store and no luck. Not even butcher, skinning, or boning knives.
I think my local thrift store is being looted or embezzled, for the good stuff by the folks that operate and manage it.

I have better luck picking up the old knives at yard sales but still no cleaver.

My few mods so far,
http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/jerry1945_photos/Mods/

Other great mods found at google images
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en....,cf.osb&fp=3a215523a7b25fa0&biw=1280&bih=642

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=HEcTT5e2E_HCsQL6nvH6Aw
 
BigHat said:
3. Full tang. Not that I'm concerned with the final product being full tang, but if it starts out full tang then I can make any kind of tang for it that I want. If it's less than full tang I can't make it full tang again.
Click to expand...

I would disagree with that. If you shorten from the handle end and leave the cutting edge the same you can make it full tang. On mine I started with a 10" carver and cut it down to about 5.5 inches of carbon steel, hair shaving work horse!
 
Friartuck said:
I would disagree with that. If you shorten from the handle end and leave the cutting edge the same you can make it full tang. On mine I started with a 10" carver and cut it down to about 5.5 inches of carbon steel, hair shaving work horse!
Click to expand...

good point. i did something similar to that on one knife and completely forgot about it. i guess the point here is that no matter the tang, make sure the knife is big enough to make it into what you want.
 
Forgecraft is another old carbon brand. I asked one of the local Goodwill stores why I never see hunting knives in the store and they said all weapons get turned into the police for destruction.
A kitchen knife is ok but a hunting knife is not :6: Go figure

Bob
 
Guys we all must agree that carbon steel or not and with little regard over the brand name the fun and satisfaction of making your own knife with recycled kitchen tools is great
 
CactusBob said:
Forgecraft is another old carbon brand. I asked one of the local Goodwill stores why I never see hunting knives in the store and they said all weapons get turned into the police for destruction.
A kitchen knife is ok but a hunting knife is not :6: Go figure

Bob
Click to expand...

The Goodwill stores in my area sell hunting knives; and bows, arrows, bb guns, swords, whatever they get in, besides firearms of course. I don't know why yours would be any different...
 
knives I would never alter

Ok, I know their not bushcraft, but they were handed down from family members. I would never change these, I was told that they were used in time past for butchering. the two on the right are the only ones with names on them. ( N.M. Vanator ) out of Grand Ledge, Michigan.
 

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modifying kitchen knives i bought at the thrift store is what started me into making knives! they are cheap enough that if you mess up, just go and buy another one! lol. just grind SLOW! do not change the color of the knife, or it will be ruined and the edge will not stay sharp. they are fun, and i would suggest you try modifying one.
 
JAY said:
the two on the right are the only ones with names on them. ( N.M. Vanator ) out of Grand Ledge, Michigan.
Click to expand...

The third from right appears, from the handle, that it could be a Green River brand,, not sure what style though. Not a skinner for sure, I don't think, maybe.

Anyway it was a good one in it's day and probably on the high end of the budget knives of the olden days.
Still is a good brand knife for no frills budget tested tried and proven workhorse knives imo.

Green River Examples:
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=tLUVT7-jDISq2QXLttmGCg
 
How about thickness?

This thread has some great info but one thing, how thick should the kitchen knife be? How about using something that most people will have on them like a dime, nickle, quarter,

Is a single dime thickness too thin? should a nickle be a minimum thickness? how about 2 pennies thick?

I just picked up two SS kitchen knifes from an Estate sale for $1 and they are a little thinner than a Dime which I think may be too thin.

Mike
 
BigDaddyO said:
This thread has some great info but one thing, how thick should the kitchen knife be? How about using something that most people will have on them like a dime, nickle, quarter,

Is a single dime thickness too thin? should a nickle be a minimum thickness? how about 2 pennies thick?

I just picked up two SS kitchen knifes from an Estate sale for $1 and they are a little thinner than a Dime which I think may be too thin.

Mike
Click to expand...

that's a good question, and i never thought of using coins to gauge thickness.

a lot of people have different preferences, but it's been my experience that too thin of a could bend when batoning. I generally prefer a slightly thicker knife. A nickel would be a good gauge i think, maybe a quarter. I would definitely say a dime is too thin, and a gold dollar is too thick...
 
I found Detailed information about the Old Hickory knives people keep talking about.

The 7-7" Butcher Knife "Most common for modding into a bushcraft knife"
Length - 11.75"
Steel - 1095 Carbon Steel
Hardness - 53 - 58 HRC
Steel Thickness - "Not Mentioned"

All the Old Hickory knives are the same 1095 Carbon steel that all the custom knife makers say to use.
Now I really have to find one of these.

The knives i bought at the estate sale which looked 1/2 tang had these stupid angled cuts so it looked like 1/2 tang but was more like toothpick tanged so there is not enough metal for what I want. :mad:
 
BigDaddyO said:
This thread has some great info but one thing, how thick should the kitchen knife be? How about using something that most people will have on them like a dime, nickle, quarter,

Is a single dime thickness too thin? should a nickle be a minimum thickness? how about 2 pennies thick?

I just picked up two SS kitchen knifes from an Estate sale for $1 and they are a little thinner than a Dime which I think may be too thin.

Mike
Click to expand...

Probably the most common kitchen knives to mod are the Old Hickory, or simular brand, inexpensive carbon blade types found by the millions at yard sales and thrift stores.

Yard sales they can be gotten in my area for anywhere from 25c to a $1 or two... depending on the condition. Thrift stores a little more and bought brand spanking new less than $10 in most styles. A cleaver a bit more.

The yard sale knives, for cheap, just grab all you can and don't worry about thicknesses and condition. For a quarter you will figure out later what to you can do with it. Thinner blades can be modified into a fillet knives or something similar. Use your imagination.

Old Hickory Brand,,
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en....,cf.osb&fp=edb77d701e1dd45e&biw=1280&bih=642

Also search Dexter, Green River, Chicago, etc etc
Search modified kitchen knives, etc.
 
I did buy the OH cleaver I had spotted. Got it for $4. Don't know what I'll do with it yet.
 
Gerald_G said:
I did buy the OH cleaver I had spotted. Got it for $4. Don't know what I'll do with it yet.
Click to expand...

do a search for old hickory mod's. a number of members on here have done some really nice changes. especially Trekon86, he's done some really nice stuff with cleavers and other kitchen knives..
 
Myxinikela said:
When I was a kid I was taken in hand by a guy, a steelworker, who lived off the land especially when work was slow. He showed me how to select a good knife. It only works with carbon steel, and I would have no other. Hold it lightly by the handle and snap the blade with the nail of the middle finger of the other hand. If it doesn't ring discard it. The purer the ring the better the steel. I have only carried modified kitchen type knives. I have both Old Hickory and Oneida, but be aware that all these are not created equal and should be tested. You might test a dozen before you find a keeper.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I have been known to do that as well. It has to do with the heat treat. Somewhat of a ping or ring seems to indicate it is harder and seems to take an edge well.
 
Picked up this knife for $.25 today. A quick google search on my ph. indicated that it was a carbon steel blade, but now at home, more googling leaves me unsure. It's a Chicago Cutlery paring knife. I was thinking when I bought it of shortening it up as a detail wood carver.

102s_01.jpg


As you can see, someone has tried to work on it with something way too course, so there is a lot of work to get an edge back on it.

102s_02.jpg


What do you think? Good potential carving knife? (like I saw a tutorial for making one from hacksaw blade)
 
If you've got a good set of sharpening stones or a belt sander I'd say go up-swept. Other wise go sheeps foot and it'll be easy peezy lemon squeezy.
 
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